Table-top, coin-operated gramophone
What unites the village of Severní u Lobendavy, Lomnice nad Popelkou and the current Jiříkov? The answer is simple: It's a coin-operated gramophone. This table-top, "PARLOPHONE"-brand gramophone from 1927 during the First Czechoslovak Republic became part of the museum 's permanent exhibition in 2020.
The company "František Starý" from Lomnice nad Popelkou, which dealt in the sale of bicycles and their accessories sold this coin-operated gramophone to Severní u Lobendavy, where this gramophone served the locals and their visitors in one of the local pubs for the next 20 years.
Over time, the locals, local pubs and other surrounding houses disappeared. But in one of the remaining houses, the gramophone was discovered in the 1960s, redeemed, and traveled to Germany, to nearby Ebersbach in Saxony, where it received proper care and repairs from the relatives of the former gramophone owner.
Somewhat less than 60 years later, the local museum learned about the gramophone, and after an agreed visit and tour, no one hesitated. In May 2020, the gramophone was back on its original side of the border to play music for the locals and make them happy. Although who knows, maybe one day it will again take a peek at Severní u Lobendavy or at Lomnice nad Popelkou.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. If you want to experience this gramophone with your own eyes and ears, all you have to do is get a First Republic 50 haléř piece, drop it in the coin slot, turn the handle and listen to a song from one of our shellac records.